Nora Roberts books usually are not my favorite but I was craving more of a thriller and this absolutely delivered! I didn’t really enjoy the SK storyline though but the other parts I did enjoy!

Hidden Nature is a suspense filled story that left me on the edge of my seat. Sloan is a natural resources officer. She moves back to the town where her family lives, after being injured. We meet her wonderful family as they care for her during and after her injury. We meet her neighbors, Nash, Theo and their goofy dog, Tic. At the same time that Sloan is recovering, a secondary story line is happening. It is super creepy, so be warned. It's a wonder that I have any fingernails left! Personally, I am not a big fan of creepy, but I love Nora Roberts' work. Hidden Nature is a mix of romance, suspense, and strong characters. As always, Nora writes a good read! Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

I received this book as an ARC through Net Galley. I thought the book was good, not one of her best. It read more like her J.D. Robb books than a Nora Roberts book in my opinion. The story was interesting and I had a hard time putting it down, but for people who do not like her J.D. Robb series I think you should skip this one.

Nora Roberts has a way of creating the perfect amount of tension. She always takes the reader along with her through each twist and turn, building to the climactic thrill. Hidden Nature definitely leaned more into Thriller in this book but had a beautiful backdrop of home renos during moments of deep thought. It was a very relatable and nostalgic setting. I would absolutely recommend Hidden Nature!

Nora Roberts has done it again! Thriller. A bit of romance, and even some home improvement. Her books are always excellent but this one had a serial killers element as well and the reason to kill was nothing I've read before. Just fantastic! O highly recommend!

Nora never ceases to amaze me. I look forward to her stand-alone titles as much as I do the series, including the In Death series. Hidden Nature did not disappoint. Sloan was a great character from the beginning. I admire strong female leads and Roberts does them justice. It was inspiring and encouraging with just a touch of chill that makes you wanna watch your back. I really got into the design aspects and I could see each place as it came to life. What a great family and even better stories. This could be a series in itself!

Nora Roberts standalone novels never cease to amaze me. They all follow the same pattern, but each turn these novels take take me by surprise every time. Hidden Nature is a great addition to Robert's ever growing bookshelf.

I loved this book! The mystery was very good and kept me guessing. I just loved the characters, excellent writing. I would recommend!

I just don’t think that Ms Roberts can write a bad book! This was no different, it did have some vibes as her “Death In” series as Sloan has some of the same qualities as Eve but none of the horrible history. She was very methodical and precise in her recovery and investigations. Noah, who was in the process of changing his life, didn’t appear to be exactly what Sloan needed in a partner and vise versa. Theo was a breath of fresh air and had a very quick connection with Sloan’s sister, Drea. As we get to know the depth of the cases that Sloan was working on as she recovered from her close call with death, getting to know the killers was bone chilling! All in all, a great read!

Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts was a little bit different than her other books in my opinion. Yes, we had romance and a cute dog and the tension filled-hold your breath because you know something is going to happen story. But this story contained more of an ick factor. I think Roberts went a little bit to the dark side. Having said that, I still think it was a great book! I thoroughly enjoyed the suspense building in the storyline and I thought the character,s as usual, were very well developed. Maybe I'm not a big fan of bloody scenarios. And when you combine bloody scenarios with criminal insanity it really puts you on edge. I would still recommend you read Hidden Nature. Just heed my warning! I voluntarily received a copy of this book from netgalley.

As always, Nora Roberts delivers an amazing story!

<i>Hidden Nature</i> is classic Nora Roberts. The characters are amazing, the plot is interesting, and she writes as though you could simply step into the pages. I always enjoy and recommend her books.

This book is a romance/thriller, though, like most of her books in this genre, the romance is more prominent. I loved watching the MCs find each other. I will say, there is a lot of fluff in this book, it's interesting fluff, but it's still there all the same. The thriller part was ok, It was a little different than what she usually does, but I didn't really feel like I got into the killer's head. I would like to see her spend more time with the killer, and less with some of the filler she added in this one.

Again, I always enjoy NR's books, and as always, I think everyone will enjoy this one.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Hidden Nature
by Nora Roberts
Pub Date: May 27, 2025
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
The #1 New York Times-bestselling author presents a novel about an injured cop who must fight to bring down a pair of twisted killers…
Readers of Robert’s work may recognize elements, but all my favorite things were there- great setting, perfect amount of tension, small town living, sweet dopey dog and a love of an ice cold Coke. Interesting twists kept me reading.

I absolutely love Nora Roberts and Hidden Nature hits exactly on the reason why. More suspenseful than the typical Nora Roberts book, it was a little dark for me but still absolutely brought that Nora Roberts world building and character development that we all expect from her books. I did find it kind of hard to read through, as there was a lot of "Bad Guy POV" and it was a bit hard for me personally to relate to the main character but as that's 100% based on my personal preferences I still highly recommend Hidden Nature!

Thank you for the early copy of Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts. This one gives you both the romance and thriller aspect when reading. Whats crazy with this one is that Sloan almost gets killed when she accidentally runs across a robbery in progress and now shes trying to recover from it.
Sloan then discovers a case of a missing woman and now is invested in it and wants to be a part of it. After being on this case in her spare time she ends up discovering more of these types of missing cases among other states of all different people. But there's one crazy thing about these cases.. Each one of these victims were also "Resuscitated" just like her. How crazy is that....So whats next.. Sloan is definitely determined to find out and get these cases closed.

This started off so leisurely that I was almost bored.
BUT in true Nora Roberts fashion, she was guiding us through a romantic suspense that just got better and better until i coudlnt put the book down at the end.

I miss THIS Nora Roberts who writes us a story that just happens to be a romance.

Thank you to NetGalley for the Arc. All opinions are my own.

I’ve long been a Nora Roberts fan and was honored to receive this ARC from NetGalley! There’s a cadence to any book written by Nora that lets you know you are reading one of her intricately crafted tales… this one definitely hits the mark!

Hidden Nature is a thrillingly good suspense/thriller/romance with a badass policewoman, Sloan, as the FMC. Her tenacity and grit make her the perfect person to try to catch a serial killer, once she’s healed after being shot.

The romance subplots are also written extremely well with a mostly closed door spice level. Nash Littlefield brings a steady dose of big brother energy to everyone except Sloan who is happy to look at him in every possible way! This is an over all great story for any fan of romance or suspense!

Sloan Cooper is a natural resources policewoman who is shot and critically injured when she walks in on a convenience store robbery. Doctors need to resuscitate her when her heart stops during emergency surgery. She begins a long recuperation at her parent’s home in Heron’s Nest. Topping off her bad fortune is a boyfriend who “ghosts” her while she is in the hospital.

During her slow recovery, Sloan discovers the case of a young woman from a nearby town who disappears from a supermarket parking lot without a trace. Curious, Sloan researches other, similar disappearances and finds several, but with no obvious ties to each other. Also while recovering, Sloan’s mentor visits her and offers her an opportunity to interview for a NRP promotion in her home area. With that promotion, she would have an opportunity to work on these disappearances with the police.

Sloan is offered the job and decides to stay in Heron’s Nest permanently. She hires Nash, a new-to-the-area building contractor to work on the dilapidated house she purchases. Nash shares her curiosity for the crimes and becomes her sounding board - and more - while she digs into the cases. Terrifyingly, when Sloan discovers what the victims in each disappearance have in common, she realizes she could also be a potential victim.

I enjoyed this book!

FINAL DECISION: HIDDEN NATURE has a strong second half and an intriguing premise, but its slow, detail-heavy first half drains momentum, keeping it from reaching its full potential as a thriller.

THE STORY: Natural Resources police officer Sloan Cooper's life changes drastically when she walks into a convenience store robbery and is shot. After being revived on the operating table, she moves back to her parents' home in Heron's Rest to recover. While healing both physically and emotionally from being dumped by her boyfriend via text during her hospital stay, Sloan becomes intrigued by the case of a woman who disappeared, leaving her car in a supermarket parking lot. As she searches online, she discovers similar disappearances across three states with seemingly unrelated victims. With the support of Nash, a new man in her life who shares her investigative passion, Sloan digs deeper into the mysterious abductions. She soon realizes the victims share one critical factor—they've all been resuscitated after near-death experiences, just like her. As the pattern becomes clearer, Sloan must use all her skills and determination to stop a killer before she becomes the next target.

OPINION: Roberts once again proves her storytelling prowess with a thriller that balances suspense, recovery, and romance. Sloan Cooper is a particularly strong protagonist whose journey from trauma to renewed purpose forms the emotional core of the novel. Her determination to solve the mystery despite her physical limitations makes her instantly relatable, and her growing relationship with Nash develops naturally amidst the chaos.

The supporting cast is equally well-drawn, particularly Sloan's parents, whose warmth and support provide a comforting backdrop to the increasingly disturbing investigation. The brothers who move to town to start a contracting business integrate seamlessly into the close-knit community, and their interactions with the main characters add depth to the overall narrative.

Unfortunately, the book takes far too long to find its footing. The first half is bogged down with excessive detail about home renovations and day-to-day activities that, while creating a rich sense of place, fail to engage with the urgency a thriller requires. I struggled to stay interested until the investigation finally gained momentum in the second half.

When the mystery does take center stage, the concept of targeting people who have been resuscitated is genuinely chilling and original, creating a unique vulnerability for the protagonist that raises the stakes effectively. The second half delivers on the promise of suspense, with tension building masterfully toward a satisfying conclusion. However, this strong finish can't fully compensate for the sluggish beginning.

WORTH MENTIONING: This book is a mystery/thriller but takes a while to get into that plot.

CONNECTED BOOKS: HIDDEN NATURE is a standalone.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

NOTE: I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley which I used to prepare this review. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

DNF @ 56%

this is by far the most boring "thriller" I have ever read, to a point that I actually had to doublecheck that it was supposed to be a thriller. the cover certainly makes it look like one!!!

it's incredibly slow — the entire first 30% is about the FMC (Sloane) recovering from an injury. so much time and detail goes into Sloan's recovery, then renovating her house and spending time with her family. If I had to read about her taking one more nap, or just one more bite of food, I thought I might shoot myself. It was unbelievably repetitive. At several points, the exact same thing is repeated 3 or 4 times. I get it. Once is enough.

At 56%, Sloan (A sergeant officer) doesn’t even know that there are killers yet, and honestly at multiple points i had forgotten that there are killers involved because so little of the story up until this point has been about the crimes. At more than halfway through the book, Sloan is looking into missing people and thinks these three cases are connected but hasn’t figured out how yet, and truly at this pace I doubt she'll ever solve it.

The dialogue is also so confusing for the timeline. Based on context clues, it sounds like they’re in what is modern day Maryland. Two of the characters are supposed to be transplants from NYC (a lawyer and a finance bro) and neither of them talk or act like it. A huge majority of the dialogue is incomplete or super short sentences, but then followed by paragraphs upon paragraphs of detailed descriptions — most often about the types of renovations going on at the house or what someone is wearing or Sloan's recovery process, or some other incredibly mundane thing and NOT the crime!

The murders/killers are a subplot in this "thriller" and I am bored out of my goddamn mind. I seriously tried to push through this but cannot find the strength or motivation to go on, I am so sorry.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a DRC in exchange for my honest review.

Hidden Nature is an interesting mix of romance and a thriller novel, leaning more towards thriller. I was fascinated by Sloan's way of investigating and loved that the main investigation of the book wasn't even her case. It gave it a different take since she investigated on her own. Her character was very direct, almost too direct at times. I kept thinking people would get insulted by that, but it's as if the other characters just knew it was just how she was. I felt like the romance of the story was more her sister's romance. We saw more of her relationship than we did Sloans. Not that it's bad, it just threw me the way this book was approached with not only the romance but the main thriller plot. There is a lot of design and home improvement in this book, which I absolutely loved because that's my thing. I could see where that may slow things down for readers who don't care about it. Overall though, this was a unique read and I enjoyed it.